Mom accused of stabbing 11-year-old daughter, driving her around until she died

ORLANDO, Fla. – A Florida mother allegedly stabbed her 11-year-old daughter numerous times then drove the girl around until she died, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said during a press conference Sunday.

Police arrested Rosa Alcides Rivera, 28, after she brought the girl, Aleyda Rivera, to Winnie Palmer Hospital in Orlando Sunday morning. Investigators believe the child was already dead by the time Rivera arrived.

Rivera told hospital staff members “My baby is gone,” according to an arrest report obtained by the Orlando Sentinel. Authorities say they found 15 stab wounds on Aleyda’s back, along with a defensive wound to her right arm.

Authorities believe the incident began around 7:30 a.m. Sunday, when witnesses reported seeing Rivera banging on the door of an Orlando home, accusing a man of having sex with Aleyda, which her daughter denied.

At some point after Rivera and her daughter got back into the car, the arrest report says the Florida mother stabbed the girl repeatedly “and while stabbing her she was attempting to make her more comfortable.”

Rivera “then drove her around in her vehicle until she ultimately died from those stab wounds,” Mina said.

Mina said River later told investigators she stabbed her daughter “to prevent her from having sex with other men,” but he said authorities don’t believe she was being sexually abused.

“We believe that part of the investigation is unfounded, we are looking into it but don’t believe it to be credible,” Mina said.

While speaking with deputies, Rivera said she thought her daughter was in heaven.

River is currently being held without bail at the Orange County Jail on a charge of first-degree murder as authorities continue to investigate.

“These cases are horrific and tragic,” Mina said. “And then to know that the child was killed by a mother — basically, a mother is the first line of defense to what is sometimes a very cruel world — is very hard on all of us.